


Coma

by MusicFantasi



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, BAMF Roxas, How do I even tag?, Hurt/Comfort, Organization XIII (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-08 22:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17989817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicFantasi/pseuds/MusicFantasi
Summary: Best friends since they were kids, Sora and Roxas break off their friendship after harsh words. Sora believes he's lost his friend forever, but when Roxas shows up almost dead on his doorstep one rainy night he discovers there has been more going on than he could have imagined. With his friend in a coma Sora is left to wonder just what Roxas had gotten himself into this time.





	1. Chapter 1

“ Come on Sora! The water feels great!” my friend Kairi shouted from the water. Her and my other friend, Riku, were chasing and splashing each other in the gentle waves rushing across the golden sand of our island. Yes, our island. No one else rowed out here but us, even after the island became a beach paradise and popular tourist spot several years ago. 

“ Yeah, Sora, why are you just sitting there?” Riku laughed as he got water dead in Kairi’s face. 

I grinned at them and shot to my feet. “ Nice shot Riku!” I shouted as I raced into the surf towards my friends. I crashed headfirst into a wave and drenched them both successfully. 

“ You’ll pay for that!” Kairi yelled at me as she tackled me back into the water. We came up slightly choking on water and Riku laughing loudly at us. I grinned at her, then dunked her under the next oncoming wave.

That’s how we spent our afternoon—just three friends enjoying our time together, happy and carefree. When we finally rowed back to shore, we were utterly exhausted. We walked slowly home through the (now kind of crowded) streets of Destiny Island. We were tired but happy; talking, joking, and laughing together like we always had. It was almost enough to make me forget what had happened. 

This trip to our island was plotted by my two friends to help cheer me up, I’m sure. It had definitely worked, but I know that it won’t last long once we’ve parted. It has difficult to hold onto happiness after I’d just lost one of my best friends. He’s dead or anything, but we’re not friends anymore. I’m not even sure why it all ended so suddenly. It definitely hasn’t been very easy for me to deal with. We’d been friends since kindergarten and I’m a Junior in high school now. It probably won’t get easier for a while, I suppose. But it will eventually with friends like mine. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Unbidden, the last thing I said to him flashed though my mind, making me flinch and my heart clench painfully. “I hate you! Go get yourself killed for all I care!” It had been such a stupid argument, why had I said that…? It took a lot of effort, but I managed not to let my slip show as Riku and Kairi turned to me to say goodbye before we parted ways. It used to be that Kairi, Riku, and I were all on the same street, but since the tourists started coming the village became a town and now more like a mini city. “ Bye guys!” I shouted cheerfully, although it was a bit more forced after my previous thoughts. I hope they didn’t notice that bit. 

“ Bye Sora!” They shouted back together, waving at me as they walked away together. 

I watched them walk away for a few moments, allowing myself a moment to think about what I’d lost. I wasn’t supposed to, it was unhealthy for me, but I did anyway. Finally, I turned away and started walking home with a sigh. I continued my slow pace and on the street before mine I decided to detour and take a little walk even though I was tired. I couldn’t stand the thought of going home right now. Home was full of memories and I don’t want memories right now. 

I don’t know how long I walked around the many streets of the island with my head down or what time it was when I finally walked up to my house, but I knew it started raining a few minutes ago and I was soaking wet again. I was in a bathing suit still so it didn’t really matter and it wasn’t a cold rain anyway. Nothing was ever cold on our tropical island. 

That was, it didn’t feel cold until I walked up the pathway to my house. When I was almost at the door, it felt like shards of ice pelting my skin. The clear water draining down the concrete path isn’t clear anymore. It’s running red and pink. My head snapped up and I sped up my pace for a second before I stopped in shock.

“ Roxas…?” It took a moment for the shock to pass before I bolted to the stairs of my house. He’s dressed in a black cloak of some kind, but it’s torn up with gashes in the cloth and blood running through the gaps of fabric and soaking the already saturated material. I collapsed onto the steps next to him and yelled to him, trying to get him to respond. “ Roxas! Are you ok? Roxas!”

His head moved slightly and he opened his eyes. They seemed so foggy and dull. “ S..Sor..a…?” His eyes seemed to clear for a moment as he looked at me in relief. Then they slid shut and he went limp again. 

“ Roxas!” I screamed at him, “ Please wake up! Roxas!” Tears mixed with the rain streaming down my face as I started to panic. I had to forcefully tear myself away from him to get help. I burst into my house and ran up the stairs to my mom’s bedroom. “ Mom! Mom, get up!”

“ What, Sora what’s wrong?” She asked groggily.

“ It’s Roxas, he’s outside and he’s unconscious and bleeding and we’ve gatta do something!” I don’t know if it was from fear or cold but I was shaking uncontrollably. And my fear and panic must have been clearly seen on my face because at the first look she got of my dripping wet, shaking self she hurried out of bed and down the stairs. 

I followed her hastily, almost tripping as I took the stairs two by two. “ Get him inside out of the rain and wrap him up in a blanket. I’ll call 911.” 

I raced outside and tried to carefully pick him up. It was unexpectedly easy because he was much lighter than I’d thought he would be. After gently, carefully laying him down on the couch, I ran to my room to grab my giant, plushy comforter as fast as I could. I had to be breaking some running records here because I was getting to and from places faster than I’d thought I could go. 

“ Please be ok, Roxas.” I whispered as I draped the huge blanket over his surprisingly small form. He’s gotten thinner since I last saw him and that was concerning considering it’s only been a little over a week now. He’s always been skinny but this seemed unhealthy skinny. What has he been doing lately? And then there’s always the fact that he’s unconscious and bleeding from multiple wounds all over the place that look really painful…

My mom gasped when she finally made it into the room. I glanced at her to see her staring at Roxas, which I don’t see why if all that could be seen of him is his head above the plush of the comforter. Although his face does have a nice cut along his left cheek and the right side of his forehead making his blonde hair mat with blood. Well I didn’t understand why, that is, until I looked away from her and his face to the rest of him.

He was losing blood fast enough to soak through my like six inch thick blanket in some places. “ What in the world happened to him?” She whispered in shock. 

“ I wish I knew.” I murmured quietly. I really wish I did. It’s not every day your bes- um ex best friend, shows up unconscious and possibly dying on your doorstep.

She seemed to snap out of her shock and got down to business. “ They said it would take awhile for them to get an ambulance here and the nearest hospital is an hour away. We need to do something about that bleeding.” Her nurse skills must be kicking in now even though I don’t think she’s seen anything like this working in the clinic at the local elementary school.

“ What can I do?” I stood up.

“ Go into the kitchen and get a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth. We need to clean him up.”

“ Right.” I said as we both hurried off. When I came back with the bowl of water, she was already back with several things of bandages, gauze bandage pads, medical tape, bandage wraps, sterile pads, and peroxide. I was half tempted to ask how she got all that in here that quickly, but it’s not really appropriate to say right now. I’m just looking for anything to break the tension and make this fear and panic go away.

My mom unzipped the black cloak and took Roxas’ arms out of the sleeves. “ I need you to pick him up and lie him down on the floor.” I did so as gently as I could. “ Now hold him up for a second so I can take off his shirt.” Which she had to do carefully because it was super glued to his skin with dried blood. “ Ok now lie him down.” 

When I laid him down we finally got to see the full extent of his injuries, which were in no way pretty. He had what seemed like a bullet wound in his left shoulder and gashes and bruises all over his chest, sides, stomach, and back. “ What have you gotten yourself into Roxas?” My mom said to herself. Once again, I really wish I knew. 

It took some time, but we managed to clean out and bandage each wound. Honestly, he looked like a mummy when we were done with all the gauze wrapped around him to stop the bleeding. “ Do you think they’re almost here yet?” I asked timidly. What if they couldn’t get here in time and he bled to death? We bandaged him up but some of those wounds I know have to need stitches in order to heal them right and stop them from bleeding so much.

“ I don’t know, honey.” She hugged me tightly and I almost started crying again. But I stopped myself because crying was for little kids and I’m not a little kid anymore. I will not cry anymore.

It wasn’t long after that that we heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights through the darkness. “ Finally.” I breathed. Took them long enough! My mom rushed to the door and waited for them on the porch. It didn’t take more than a minute for the paramedics to come rushing in with a stretcher to take Roxas away. 

That’s when it hit me. They were taking him away to a hospital an hour away. We wouldn’t know anything for hours and that’s if they let us know. We’re not blood family so they probably wouldn’t even call us. They’d call Roxas’ brother, Cloud. I can’t just stay here and wait for a call that may not come! He’s my best friend damn it!

“ Mom! We have to go with him.” I begged her. 

She gazed at me for a moment as she thought about it. Would she say no? It’s only one hour away, not like two hundred miles, right? “ If you hurry they may let you in the back of the ambulance with him.” She said quickly.

I smiled. “ Thanks, mom!” I gave her a quick hug and ran off after the paramedics, who so kindly said I could ride with them if I make sure not to get in the way.

Luckily with the ambulance, the hour drive turned out to be a half hour drive and for that whole thirty minutes they were rushing about the small space checking Roxas’ vitals and giving him fluids and a million other things and talking so quickly and with medical language that I could barely understand them. 

When we got to the hospital it wasn’t much better. Roxas was rushed off into the emergency room with a doctor and I was left in the waiting room to fill out as much information as I could about him. Which, luckily, was a lot since we’ve known each other basically our whole lives.

It only took a few minutes to fill out the form, but it took four hours to hear from the doctor, a pale man with long grayish, blonde hair and cutting green eyes. I immediately didn’t like him because at first he refused to talk to me because I wasn’t his ‘family.’ “ Look, I’m as close as someone can be to someone else without being blood related. And his hasn’t got any other family here right now. And I’m the one that got him here.” I argued angrily.

The doctor sighed. “ How long have you known him?” he asked quizzically. 

“ Twelve years.”

He seemed satisfied with that. “ Roxas has suffered from some pretty severe injuries and lost a lot of his blood. I’m positive that what you and your mother did saved his life. But the trauma induced to his body from the wounds has sent him into a coma.”

“ B-but that can’t be possible. He-he talked to me!” I said in disbelief. A coma? There was no way. Not Roxas. He couldn’t be in a coma!

“ He talked to you? When? What did he say?”

“ Right after I found him, he..he said my name…” 

“ That’s good. I was worried he might have had a brain injury because we found blunt force trauma on the back of his head. But if he had the mind enough to recognize and speak to you, then that shouldn’t be an issue.”

“ Then why is he in a coma!?” I shouted in frustration.

“ It could be that the body just needs time to heal. He should wake up in a few days. In the mean time, you can go in and see him if you’d like.” I nodded wordlessly and he turned to lead me down the white hallway. This was actually only my second time in a hospital.

The first was also for Roxas, but it wasn’t anything this serious. We’d been climbing in some of the trees in the neighborhood and I’d slipped out the tree from one of the higher branches. I screamed as loud as I could because I was scared of how much the fall would hurt, but it hadn’t hurt me all that much. Roxas had ran over and broken my fall. I ended up breaking his arm. I’d been so panicked and upset that Roxas’ parents brought me to the hospital with them when they took him. I was more upset than he was.

I was too little then to really pay attention to what the hospital was like, but I know that I didn’t like it there. That feeling hadn’t changed. The ward we were in smelled like disinfectant and sickness. I could feel sadness and pain and death all around me like it was a physical thing pressing down on me. There was the steady beeping of heart monitors at every opened door we passed and some people were moaning and groaning in pain. It made me shudder.

“ Here we are. Room 437. The nurse on duty currently is Ariel” He inclined his head towards a pretty red haired woman behind the nurse’s station counter. She smiled warmly at us and waved. “Remember how to get up here if you come back because there won’t be an escort next time.” He told me bluntly. Not like a mean blunt but just blunt.

“ Ok, thank you Doctor.” He nodded at me as he pulled his clipboard from under his arm and flips through some papers.

“ Visiting hours are from noon to ten, but as for you, since you’re here already, you can stay the night here. If you speak with the nurses and they approve it, you may be able to stay nights and help look after your friend until his family can be properly notified. Then it will be his guardian’s decision who stays and goes.”

“ Ok.” I said quietly as the Doctor walked away. Hm, now that I think about it, I don’t know his name. Oh well, it doesn’t really matter I guess. 

I walked slowly and hesitantly into the room. I actually am scared of what I’ll find. His wounds were pretty bad… What if they had to amputate his arm because of the bullet wound or something!?

Ok, I really need to calm down and just go in there before I get another horrible visual in my head. I built my courage and walked into the room. Slow, steady beeping penetrated the stale air. The room was a dull white, from the floor tiles to the painted walls. There was only a few florescent lights, otherwise the large window lit the room with soft moon light. 

Roxas laid unconscious on a white bed. His spiky, blonde hair was messed up by the bandages wrapped around his forehead and covering half of his face and one eye. His right hand was bandaged and his left hand had small band-aids here and there. His right arm above the elbow was wrapped thickly with bandages, but his left arm had no damage on it at all. He didn’t have of a shirt, but all the gauzy, white bandages criss-crossing over his chest covered almost every piece of skin. Everything else was covered by a faded blue blanket.

“ What happened Roxas?” I whispered. He didn’t move at all, he didn’t show any sign that he could hear me or that he was even alive. The only comfort to me was the steady beeping of the heart monitor across from me. I sat down heavily in the chair beside his hospital bed and grabbed onto his left hand. “ Please be ok... I’m sorry for everything I said… I didn’t mean it…” I started crying again.

I hate crying. It comes so easily to me but I hate it. It makes me feel so weak and little kidish. It’s one of the worst feelings for a teenager. I couldn’t stop the flow of tears though. Not with the pain in my chest from worry and from the memories popping in my mind. 

I could see us playing in the fort we built on the beach one summer and us playing video games in our rooms, smiling and laughing and making jokes like best friends do. But over everything else, came the memory of us screaming at each other. Screaming such hurtful things and over something so stupid. Minus tonight, that was the last time I saw him. 

Incoherent mumbling snapped me out of my zoning. My head shot up to look at Roxas. Was he awake? Could he actually be awake? I could only hope so.

But he wasn’t. He was still asleep. In a coma, I’d been told. When will you wake up…?

“ You know, they say that even when someone is in a coma, they can still hear you.” A melodic voice said suddenly to my right. I jumped and spun around to look for the owner of the voice. The nurse Ariel giggled quietly. “You should try it.” She smiled softly as she came in to check on him.

“Is there anything I can do for him?”

“Just be here.” I looked at her questioningly. “Most coma patients just need someone to hang on to, to help them find their way back.”

I looked back at the injured blonde. “I think you’re right, Ariel, thank you.” I smiled at her.

“You’re very welcome. If you need anything, just ask. I have a shift every night. During the day a nurse named Snow will be taking over. But don’t worry, she’s really nice.” She smiled again before leaving, closing the door behind her.

I sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Roxas breathe slowly. “Are you in there, Roxas? If so, you need to come back. You can’t die. You hear me? You cannot die.” In the silence that followed, I fell back into my memories. Somewhere in my memories I fell asleep without even realizing.

It was morning now, the sun was peeking through the window at the other end of the room. Roxas didn’t look like he was any different than yesterday. I wasn’t sure what to do now. Should I do what Ariel had said to do and just talk to him? I might as well, I guess.

“Morning, Roxas. Sorry for falling asleep, hadn’t meant too. I spent all day yesterday with Riku and Kairi at the beach. It was a blast, I wish you could’ve been there! I kept thinking about you actually. I think the others worried a little bit, but not too much. They never could tell if something was truly wrong or not…not the way you could…” 

“I hate you! Go get yourself killed for all I care!”

The words echoed through my mind again, making my heart ache. Why did I say such a cruel thing? ‘because you never thought you’d actually have to face him potentially dying.’ 

I sat there in silence a moment. “I’ve really missed you, Rox. Even after that huge fight, you’ve still been my best friend. I felt horrible for everything I said to you….I wish I could take it back…all of it… I was just too mad and upset, anything that came to mind I said, no matter how wrong it was. I’m so sorry…” I looked down at my feet.

“After I calmed down, I kept trying to call you, but you never answered. I guess you didn’t want to talk to me anymore... But then why was I the one you went to when you were hurt like that? Why did you come to me…? You’re so confusing, Roxas.” I sighed, looking back up at him again. “I guess I’ll just have to wait here until you wake up. Hear me? I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers out of you!” he continued to sleep on undisturbed.

The door opened quietly behind me. It’s probably just Ariel or Snow coming to check on him so I just ignore it. 

“ What are you doing here, Sora?” a cold, tired voice asked from behind me. 

I turn around sharply to find Roxas’ older brother Cloud standing just inside the door way. “ I’m the one that got him here.”

“ What happened?”

“ No one knows. I was walking home last night, and he was lying unconscious on my porch steps in the rain. My mom and I tried to patch him up the best we could while we waited on the ambulance. The doctor says he probably slipped into the coma before the ambulance arrived, and I guess they could be right, but when I found him he wasn’t gone yet. I just wish he could’ve told me something that would’ve been a clue to what happened.”

I hadn’t actually meant to say all of that, but it just kind of came tumbling out of my mouth. Cloud walked closer to Roxas and rested his eyes on his brother, worry peaking through despite his efforts. He sighed and sat down roughly in the second chair on the opposite side of Roxas’ hospital bed. “ Missing for a week and finally comes up like this. What have you done now, Roxas?”

MISSING????

“ Um, he went missing?” I asked timidly.

Cloud regarded me coldly for a moment before answering. “ Yeah. Last Wednesday. He went to school like usual, but he didn’t come home. Hasn’t since.” 

I looked away from him and to Roxas. What did he do? What happened? No matter what trouble he’s ever gotten himself into, he always went home. Cloud and him were as close as two brothers can be—without it being creepy, that is. Cloud is his brother and one of his best friends. Roxas would come home, bruised and bleeding, from a fight without shame. What would keep him away? All I could think of was that it had to be something really bad. 

“ Do you know anything about that?” Cloud asked.

“ No, I just thought he’d been skipping the last two days of school. He’d been doing that a lot since he became friends with Axel.”

“ Axel? They’re still friends?” Why did this sound like it surprised him? Roxas told his brother everything, well unless he was asked not to.

“ Yeah. Why?” 

Cloud gave me a calculating look before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “ Have you heard of an Organization that has recently been active around here?”

“ Organization XIII? Yeah, everyone’s talking about it. They’ve been trying to recruit teens from my school lately. Wait, you don’t think Roxas…” Could he really have been that stupid?

“ I think it is a possibility. Axel is a known member and Roxas told me he’d stop hanging around him.”

I cast a worried glance at Roxas. “ What could they have possibly told him to get him to join a group like that?” I whispered. 

“ I don’t know. What I do know is that several bodies have been found recently. Many of which are known members and the rest of which are suspected to be. Someone seems to be hunting the members, which could be what happened to Roxas. If that’s so, I need you to keep a lookout here. Call me immediately if anyone you don’t know or that just looks shady comes here. Do you understand?”

“ Yes, sir.” I nodded.

When I heard the door slide shut behind me, I sat quietly, gazing at Roxas’ sleeping face. I had so many questions and sofew answers. I’m not sure what to expect; was he attacked by whoever it was going after the other members? Are we wrong and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? What have you been doing Roxas? 

More importantly, when will you wake up?


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks. 

That’s how long I’d been here. I hadn’t left Roxas’ side except for food and to go the bathroom and necessary stuff like that. My mom had come after me when I didn’t come home after two days and I never answered my phone. In my defense, it’d been mostly dead when I got home to find Roxas. She brought me enough clothes to last a month and money for food every day along with some other essential stuff, like my phone charger. Cloud visited every few days but we never talked too much; he was more the stern silent type. I figured work had him really busy because of all the Organization members showing up dead lately. Riku and Kairi came to visit me and Roxas a few times and Ariel and Snow came to visit often, although it was also part of their job.

I’m so glad it’s summer; I couldn’t leave Roxas’ side. If someone really was hunting him, there was no way I could leave him alone. It wasn’t like we could get police protection for him or anything. Cloud didn’t have the money to hire a security guy and we couldn’t tell the police Roxas was a potential member. They would detain him as soon as he woke up!

I talked to Roxas a lot. I’d gotten used to the one sided conversation now. Once you get around the feeling of going insane and talking to a completely unresponsive person as if they were extremely talkative, it wasn’t so hard. Most of the time I just rambled about something or just spoke my thoughts out loud. It was kind of embarrassing when I was talking then someone walked in. 

I gaze at Roxas for a moment as I stretch my stiff muscles before speaking, “ Morning.” 

“Mornin’.” I jumped at the unexpected answer, looking at Roxas, but he was still asleep. Plus, that didn’t sound like him. I turned around to see a very unexpected, very unwelcome person.

“Axel.” I all but growled, scowling at him fiercely.

“Hey there, Sora. How’s our little Roxas doing?” The red head grinned, walking casually closer to me.

“Just fine.” I stood up, preventing him from getting too close to Roxas’ comatose form.

“I hear he’s been out for about two weeks now.” Axel said, peering over me at him.

“That all you hear?” 

Axel grinned again, coming further into the room. I tensed up and glared at him. “I also hear he’s lucky to be alive. He took on some pretty powerful people.”

“What do you know about what happened to him?” I snapped, wishing he’d get to the point and get the Hell out.

“Enough.” My eye twitched slightly as he shrugged his shoulders with a cocky smirk.

“Tell me what you know about it or I’ll-“ I demanded.

“You’ll what? What can you do?” he asked mockingly, getting in my face.

“Enough.” I said just as mockingly, not backing away and glaring at him full in the face. He grinned again for some reason, making me even angrier, and backed up.

He suddenly grabbed me by the arm and yanked me roughly forward. “What are you doing?!” I shouted.

Tensing and prepared to punch him, I suddenly felt him whispering next to my ear, “Listen here, pip squeak; we were part of Organization XIII. They made you and your family a target to be executed.” he said quietly. “ He joined to prevent that from happening. The Organization is dead now, along with mostly everyone else in it. We made sure of that. And he did it all to keep you safe.”

“ Why are you telling me this?”

“ He told me if anything happened to him, to make sure you knew what happened and why. He didn’t abandon you for us, he saved your life. Got it memorized?”

An old, mean looking nurse came into the room loudly, startling me in my shocked state, “Is something wrong here boys?” she asked challengingly, daring us to yell again. 

“ No ma’am, I was just leaving.” Axel let go of my arm, gave me a serious look, and left, the nurse following him out huffing. 

After the shock wore off I fell back into my chair limply. He did it… for me? I looked at him and stared. I said all those horrible things to him and he’s in a coma, lost two weeks of his life, because he was trying to save me and my family. How was I supposed to live with myself now? “ Roxas you really need to wake up…” I need to talk to you so badly…I closed my eyes and shock my head, guilt and worry weighing down on me. Sighing, my gaze traveled to the window where the sun was hiding behind darkening clouds.

Cloud. I need to tell Cloud.

Just as I reached for my phone the door opened and I hastily shoved it back in my pocket, knowing it was probably Snow. A small bag of food was dropped in my lap suddenly, making me jump. “ Thought you might be tired of hospital food.” Cloud said off handedly as he walked into the room.

“ Cloud. I-I was just about to call you.”

“ Why? Something change?” I felt guilty at the spark of hope that showed in his face.

“ No, not exactly. But I…I know why he joined.”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed at me. “ How?”

“Axel was just here, he knew.” Cloud didn’t ask for me to tell him, he silently demanded it. Which is kind of intimidating coming from him. “ Roxas was part of Organization XIII. He said that he joined because…because he told him that my family became their next target. He joined to save me. He and Axel they…they killed everyone.”

The blonde remained silent for several minutes, digesting the information while he gazed at his little brother. “ That explains some things then.”

“ Huh?”

“ It explains why there are nine dead bodies and hardly a trace of evidence.”

“ What?” How is that even possible?

“ The members are trained to be assassins. They’re trained to not make mistakes or leave any evidence behind… even when mortally injured.” His gaze turned to Roxas. Looking at him just laying there sleeping, he looked so peaceful and innocent. It was hard to believe that he was an assassin or killer of any kind. If I didn’t know him as well as I did, I wouldn’t believe he was capable of any of this. Not the killing and not the self sacrificing. But I do know him. And this is something he would do for his friends.

Roxas had always been strong. Like when we were in kindergarten together, there was a second grader that liked to bully me. Roxas always stood up for me and even fought him one time. He won too. I’ve gotten better at defending myself but it’s not like that mattered because Roxas would always be right there to defend me whenever something happened if I needed him to be. And if I didn’t, he would still be right there for me and pick me up when he knew I needed it. 

“ I never knew he was in the Organization. I only realized he had changed. Reacted differently and always seemed tired. He barely talked at all after you two got into that fight. He would leave early and get back late until finally he just didn’t come home at all.” 

“ I’m sorry…I should have done something…” I said.

“ Knowing Roxas, he probably had wanted to distance you from him. And didn’t come home when things got serious to make sure I stayed out of it.” He looked down at me. His face was stern, but I could see just a little bit of sympathy in his eyes. Just a tad bit.

“ What do you mean?”

“ If he really did join them to save you, he probably wanted you as far away from him as he could get you to try to keep you out of the cross fire. He put himself in between you and some of the most powerful people this area has ever known.”

I looked back down at Roxas. So he probably planned half that fight; thought of the cruelest, most hurtful things he could and yelled them in the most hateful way at me, to protect me. “ I don’t know whether to be grateful or pissed as Hell at him.” I laughed hollowly.

“ Be both.” Cloud smirked at me.


	3. Chapter 3

Today makes seventeen days.

The original doctor caring for Roxas had disappeared after my encounter with Axel a few days ago and a new doctor was assigned to him now. I can’t say I’m very fond of this one either; he has no hope that Roxas will wake up. His injuries are healed, which I was told was miraculously fast, but he doesn’t seem any closer to coming out of the coma. I can’t help it, but I for one will not give up hope. I know he’ll wake up, simply because he has to. I left the other day, against my better judgment, and went out to eat with my mom. She said it was unhealthy how much I’d stayed there so she took me to this really nice restaurant across town. I was worried the whole time that something would happen and I wouldn’t be there. 

I hadn’t told Cloud, but the fact that only nine bodies had been found was bothering me. Organization XIII with only eleven members? And that was assuming Axel and Roxas were numbered members, which hasn’t actually been explicitly stated yet. I’m just guessing here at this point. Regardless, that didn’t make since. There’s at least two more people out there, I just know it. And they will most likely go after Roxas; I can’t let that happen. He risked his life by doing all this for me, the least I can do is keep a lookout while he’s in his coma.

“ Why won’t you wake up Roxas?” I complained out loud, leaning back in the chair and closing my eyes. “ You’ve had enough sleep, time to get up. You’re body is completely healed too. I think you’re just being lazy, you always have been but this is ridiculous.” I sighed. “ We really need to get all this mess straightened out, you know. You not waking up is making everything be dragged out. You have questions to answer.” When once again, and not to my surprise, silence was my only response. I just stayed quiet. 

The steady beeping of the heart monitor, which had not once changed its rhythm, began to beat faster. I opened my eyes to watch it curiously. The lines danced up and down quickly as his heart started to race. His face, which had the same peaceful sleeping expression since day one, isn’t peaceful anymore. His eyebrow is twitching and his face was one of clear fear and worry. Was he dreaming? This had to be an improvement of some kind, right? He was moving!

I thought about calling the doctor, but he started mumbling something and it caught my attention. I could only catch “ …nas…don’t….kil…. danger ….coming…” All of this was nonsense to me, but he was talking. He had to be waking up!

“ Roxas? Hey, wake up!” I shook his shoulder. “ Can you hear me? Roxas!” I shouted to him, still shaking his shoulder roughly. 

“…coming… run…Cloud…will kill…Sora…No!” He shot up like he’d been having a nightmare, his arm outstretched like he was reaching for something. I couldn’t see his face but I was shocked; He was actually awake. 

“ R-Roxas…?” I can’t believe it. 

He turned his head slowly and looked at me, confusion and relief flooding his gaze. “ Sora? What are you-“ Tears poured down my face but I didn’t care, I just tackled him into a hug. I can feel all my worry just leaving. He was finally awake! Seventeen days in a coma didn’t even matter now! I was crying hysterically by this point, saying a slur of words I doubt he could understand, but I didn’t care. “ Sora, calm down, I can’t understand what you’re trying to say.” He pushed my shoulder back. I let him go, gaining a little more control over myself.

“ I’m sorry, I’m just so glad you’re finally awake.” I sniffled, rubbing my eyes to try to stop the flow of tears. I must be a pretty pathetic sight right now but I can’t really make myself care at the moment.

His face grew serious as he slowly asked, “ I was asleep?” 

“ You’ve… been in a coma… for seventeen days.” I said cautiously.

“ How?” It was like the news didn’t even effect him yet with how quickly he asked.

“ I was hoping you could tell me that. I came home one night and you were unconscious and bleeding on my front porch.” More tears fell from my eyes. Stupid things won’t quit.

“ Your…porch…?” He seemed to be processing the information, trying to remember. I wish I could tell what effect this news had on him, but as soon as the words left my mouth, it was as if he shut down. He didn’t move, barely seemed to breathe, and his face went devoid of any emotions or expressions except a slight furrow in his eyebrows as he gazed unseeingly off to the side. He had never done this before, which had me worried. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that…. “ Sora, you have to leave.” He said finally, moving to get out of the hospital bed while shaking his head as if trying to discard something from his mind.

“ What?” I asked. Quite frankly, that hurt. I’ve been waiting for almost three weeks by his bedside for him to wake the Hell up and he tells me to leave almost right away? Maybe Cloud and I were wrong, maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and that fight had been real, not staged. “ Why?” I couldn’t keep the hurt out of my voice. 

He froze and turned to face me again, his face softening, looking apologetic. “ It’s not because I don’t want you here, Sora. I promise. It’s just…it isn’t safe.” He looked away again. 

“ Is it because someone’s after you? The last members of Organization XIII?” I asked.

His head snapped back up to look at me. “ How do you…” 

“ Axel.”

He looked down again. “ Oh yeah, I did tell him to do that, didn’t I?” He laughed to himself. It wasn’t a real laugh, I could tell. It was more of an ironic laugh.

“ You didn’t have to do that, you know.” I said quietly, it was my turn to look away now.

“ Of course I did. You’re my best friend Sora.” He said lightly. I looked up at him in surprise. Part of me had thought that maybe he did mean all those things he said. That he hated me. “ You need to leave though. It isn’t safe. Someone will be after me. I’m surprised they haven’t been here already…” 

“ I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to help you. You’ve done all of this for me and now it’s my turn to do something for you.” I said resolutely. No way was I going to sit back while he went and risked his life again. If something happened, this time I was going to be right there with him.

He looked at me for a long minute, making me wish, once again, I could know what was going on in his head like I used to. “ Were the clothes I came in kept? Are they here?”

“ Uh, yeah, they’re over here I think.” I said, walking to the opposite side of his bed. “ Why do you need them? They’re bloodstained and have giant rips all through them… I think the coat is still at my house though…”

“ I don’t need the clothes, I need what’s in them.” He said as he got up, yanking the IV out of his arm and the heart monitor clasp from his finger. The machine emitted a screeching beep making me cover my ears. Roxas growled pushing a button on it roughly and silencing the noise assaulting our ears. 

“ Huh?” I finally said, grateful for the silence. 

He just sighed as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small, black ball. “ We’re going to my house. There is some stuff there I need.”

“ Like what?” Roxas wasn’t paying attention to me at the moment, giving me time to text Cloud to go home.

Roxas paused, thinking, before shaking his head again. “ You’ll see.” He tossed the small, black bead looking object at the ground in front of us, making it explode upwards in a mass of swirling black energy. I stared at it openly. What the hell was that thing?! It couldn’t be smoke; that wouldn’t stay looking like this. It stayed in the shape of a black arch way with wisps coming out of the sides. Roxas stood quietly beside me for a moment, then, without warning, his hands were on my back, shoving me into the swirling portal. I gave a startled shout, then I wasn’t in the hospital room anymore.

I, naturally, was completely freaked out by what had just happened. I mean, come on, we were easily an hour away from his house and here we are not five seconds later! What was that thing? A portal? When did he get that? Where did he get that?! Roxas, not fazed in the least by what just happened, just continued walking. “ What was that thing?!” I asked loudly when I caught up to him on the stairs leading to his room. 

“ It was a portal, obviously. It’s made of dark energy and is used by the Organization to get from one place to another quickly. Although we were told to only use them in emergencies.” He said it so nonchalantly, like a magical portal is an everyday thing. Well, everyday for everyone.

“ What are you going to do Roxas?” I asked, grabbing his arm to stop him.

He turned around quickly to face me, his expression grave and serious. “ Did you ever figure out what my doctor’s name was?” 

I scowled in confusion, “ No I never caught it.”

“ What did they look like then?” His eyes were so intense I had to pause, hesitant to answer. “ Sora, I need to know.” 

“ H-he was kinda tall, real skinny. Um, long grayish blonde hair. He was really mean and had bright green eyes.” I stopped when he seemed to shut down again. Maybe this was all too much for him after waking up. I should probably make him lay down or something.

“ Vexen…” 

“ Who?” Instead of answering he spun around on his heal and went into his room. I followed as quickly as I could, almost running into him when he stopped in his tracks at the door. “ Wha-“

“ Axel!” Roxas shouted, recovering from his shock and racing into the room. The red head was laying on his back across Roxas’ bed, bare chest wrapped in bandages covered in dried blood. 

He weakly opened his piercing green eyes. “ Hey there Roxas.”

Roxas worriedly looked him over. “ You’ve been like this for days, haven’t you?” 

“ Yeah, got beat up pretty bad. Looks worse than it is.” With our help he managed to sit up. 

“ Start unwrapping the bandages.” Roxas ordered as he walked into the small bathroom connected to his room, appearing back a few moments later with a large wrap of crisp, clean bandages to replace the dirty ones wound around Axel’s chest. As I peeled the dirty mess from his chest, I noticed many large, dark bruises along the slices in his torso.

I remained quiet as the two former organization members talked. “ It looks like you have broken ribs.” Roxas concluded with a quick glance. He paused, gazing at the wounds carefully. “ These were inflicted by Frozen Pride.” It wasn’t a question. Whatever this Frozen Pride was, it looked like it could really ruin your day.

“ Yeah. The Bastard was posing as your doctor, couldn’t let him get away with it. That shield of his hurts like Hell though.”

“ I knew it was bad when we couldn’t locate him during our raid.” Roxas shook his head, applying the bandages quickly and expertly. 

“ Who are you talking about?” I asked after Roxas made Axel lay back down.

Roxas’ blue gaze fell on me seriously. “ He was an Organization member; Number four, Vexen. He used to be a scientist.”

“ I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure he was giving you something he shouldn’t have and that’s why you went into that coma of yours.”

“ So you attacked him after your visit? He disappeared the same day.” I said.

Axel looked at me like he was just now really realizing I was there. “ Yeah, couldn’t let him keep the kid in a coma. Anyway, seeing as you’re now awake just a few days after my taking out Vexen says that I’m right.”

“ Good thing you did. Who knows what else he could have slipped me.” Roxas said it lightly, but I could see the worry deep in his eyes. He was very worried about that. Hell, so was I now. He could’ve been poisoning Roxas this whole time and we wouldn’t have known until after it was already too late. “ You’re lucky Cloud didn’t find you here, you know.”

“ Your brother’s been way too busy to come here. I doubt he’s been home once since you disappeared.” He was probably right knowing Cloud and by the way Roxas was cringing he must know it too. 

I watched him as he took a deep breath and wiped off all the emotion from his face. “ It’s time to end this. You’ve done your part, now it’s my turn.” He walked over to his closet door and opened it. 

He had a fairly small closest, just big enough to fit his clothes. I don’t think it’s really big enough for anything else so I don’t know what exactly he’s looking for in there. He crouched down and started feeling around the cracks in the floor boards, surveying each seem with his fingertips until finally stopping. Grabbing a pen off the floor next to him, he stabbed it into the crack, ripping the board off the floor with a violent jerk of his hand. Surprisingly, there was virtually no noise produced. He reached in, up to the middle of his forearm disappearing below the rest of the floor, and felt around for something. Axel and I remained quiet as we watched curiously.

Suddenly he withdrew a black cloak, like the one I had found him in, and long bundles of cloth wrapped around something. “ Using those, are we?” Axel asked, his teasing tone overlaying the surprise.

“ This will end today.” His voice was cold and absolute. It left no room to argue or even believe that what he said could be false. That voice was final. What it said was going to happen, there was no other option. Which was slightly concerning because he had just woken up from a coma.

“ What are those?” I asked instead.

Without a word, Roxas untied the cloth, and, with a flourish, he uncovered the two most beautiful, eloquent looking blades I’ve ever seen in my life. They looked like twin blades but were opposites. The one in his right was white with a yellow design down its blade that had a gap in the middle where the metal split and then reattached itself together, and ended in multiple spikes. The spikes sprayed out like the edges of a star with blue laced into the yellow. It’s guard and hilt were decorated with what looked like angel wings. In his left hand the sword was black and looked as if it had a black chain running through the middle of it, attaching to its anchor like edge that sprouted from one side. Around its hilt and guard were also wings, but these seemed like those of a demon.

The two blades looked deadly and beautiful. “ These are the special weapons made just for me by the Organization when I was approved to become number XIII.” So he was a number, at least I got that answer without having to actually ask. “Their names are Oathkeeper-“ He indicated to the white one, “ and Oblivion.” He finished, lifting the midnight blade up slightly. 

“ So I’m guessing you know how to use them…” I wouldn’t even begin to know what to do with those blades. 

“ Dual blades is my specialty.” That smile on his face is kind of creeping me out.

“ How did they get there? Didn’t you fight with them before hand?” I asked.

“ No. I didn’t have time to get here and grab them so improvised.” Roxas replied, putting on his black cloak. 

“ Why are you wearing that? Isn’t that the uniform of the Organization?” I asked curiously. 

“ Yeah, it is. It’s to rub it in that a member brought them down.” That was a completely Roxas answer. Spiteful as hell and liked to rub it in. I watched quietly once more as he attached the two blades to his left hip.

I jumped when the sound of a slamming door suddenly penetrated the quiet. “ Sora!” Cloud shouted from downstairs. His loud footsteps could be heard as he walked hurriedly through the house.

Roxas snapped up his head. “ Cloud.” He said quietly. He glanced at Axel, now asleep, then to me. 

“ He’s been really worried about you, Roxas.” I said quietly. He nodded once before walking to the door, leaving the two blades by the door, and out into the hall. I followed hesitantly, peeking out the door before walking out of his room.

Roxas stopped suddenly, Cloud standing completely still in front of him. Surprise and relief flooded across his face, no attempt to hide them made, as his blue eyes settled onto the form of his little brother, finally awake after so long. “ Roxas… you’re awake…” I could barely hear his voice.

“ Hey Cloud.” Roxas said awkwardly, not knowing what to do. 

Cloud suddenly reached down and grabbed Roxas in a giant hug. This was completely uncharacteristic of the normally stoic Cloud I know but just goes to show how worried he was about his little brother. I saw Roxas tense at the contact, then force himself to relax. “ Don’t ever do that again. Do you understand?” Cloud’s voice didn’t hold the normal commanding tone it did when he said such things, it only sounded relieved that he was able to say it at all. Roxas simply nodded. Cloud released him and looked down at him again, regaining control of himself. He finally seemed to notice what Roxas was wearing and narrowed his eyes. “ What do you think you’re about to go do?”

“ I’ve got some things to go take care of.” Roxas said quietly, looking off to his side. 

“ No; I will take care of things from here on out, with the help of the rest of the force. You can’t just go around doing what you’re doing, Roxas, it’s illegal.”

“ I couldn’t just let them get away with what they were planning! What they were doing was much worse. What they were going to do….I couldn’t, I wouldn’t let them get away with that!” Roxas shouted.

“ You should have told me. I’m a cop, Roxas, dealing with these things is my job.”

“ The police would have never been able to find them or trace anything back. You know that. Can it be proved in any way what I’ve done? Is there any evidence at all linking me to anything?” Cloud remained silent. He had said that they had nine bodies without any evidence. That’s because Roxas is an assassin now. A highly trained one. Still felt really odd to think about. “ I didn’t think they would.” Roxas said, eyes aflame with determination.

“ I’m not letting you do this alone, Roxas. You know how to find them, right? Then we will set an ambush and arrest them.”

“ Him and that won’t work. He’s too strong for anyone but a Number.” Roxas said urgently. I could tell he was trying to protect his brother too. Whoever this last guy was must be scary strong. Scratch that, terrifying; downright, without a doubt terrifying because, right now, Roxas is pretty scary looking. 

“ No, Roxas, and that is final.” Cloud said, his tone reminding me of Roxas’ earlier as it left no room for argument.

Roxas, however, made room. “ You can’t change my mind, Cloud, and you can’t stop me. Not anymore. I’m going to finish this.” 

“ Roxas let us help.” I finally spoke up, stepping forward to stand closer to Cloud and in front of my friend. Roxas gave me a look like I had just betrayed him in some way, making me avert my eyes. Thanks for making me feel guilty for worrying about you Roxas. “ You just woke up from a coma. You can’t seriously be thinking about fighting so soon after that.” Granted he isn’t acting like he was bedridden for seventeen days—yet another mystery. Is that some Organization power too? I mean it would be pretty handy…

He stared at the both of us for a moment, even glancing into his room where Axel was, before sighing. I was a little surprised when a small smile spread on his lips, even if it did look somewhat defeated. “ Oblivion Mansion.” 

“ Ansem’s mansion? What does that have anything to do with-“

“ My dad? My dad doesn’t have a mansion.” I was thoroughly confused. 

“ No not your dad, Sora, this is a different Ansem. You’re dad’s called Ansem the Wise around here because of all of his research. This Ansem made his fortune in illegal arms deals in the guise of being a politician. His alias is Xemnas, leader of Organization XIII.” As he spoke, he shifted his weight nervously back and forth on his feet like he was uncomfortable with sharing this information.

“ There’s no way; Ansem’s been actively helping the police in tracking down and stopping Organization XIII and the other gangs around here.” Cloud replied. I couldn’t stop myself from giving him a dirty look. Yeah, arguing with the one that obviously knew exactly what he was talking about because you thought you knew better. I don’t think he could possibly know more than Roxas on this matter.

“ And what else could possibly be a better ruse?” Roxas challenged, crossing his arms. Cloud, it seemed, didn’t have a comeback for that one. “ I think I know who the leader to the organization I was in is. Only the numbers were trusted with the information after all. Besides, I’ve been in that mansion several times. It’s where all our meetings were held. There’s a huge underground training ground under it only for the numbers, complete with training weapons in our specific specialties and a virtual training system.” 

“ That sounds so cool!” I couldn’t help it. A virtual training system? What could be more awesome than being able to be in a virtual video game?

Roxas grinned like his normal self and I felt a part of me relax at the sight—my friend was still in there somewhere buried underneath all of these revelations. “ It is pretty awesome. There’s even this setting where we can fight against monsters from video games.” I stared at him in awe.

“ Alright you two snap out of it.” Cloud snapped. “ I’ll head back to the station and tell them this information. I’m going to say that it’s from an anonymous source so you need to lay low Roxas.” The blonde nodded wordlessly. 

“ What about me? What can I do?” I asked excitedly. 

“ Nothing. You’re to go home and wait until this is over.”

“ What?! No way!” why does everyone keep trying to force me out? I’m helping if they like it or not!

“ You’re just a teenager, Sora, and untrained. It’s too dangerous.” Cloud glared at me like he was daring me to argue with him before he turned around and began heading down the hallway. This time, however, it didn’t work. I opened my mouth, completely intending to set him straight, when I felt a light shove on my shoulder. I turned to face Roxas, him shaking his head wordlessly. 

Not him too! Why was everyone against me helping? Roxas was untrained and kicked peoples’ butt in school; I did too. Maybe not as well, but I can still hold my own in a fight. I wasn’t being left out of this. Not again when it’s my fault my best friend got wrapped up in it all.

They think I can’t handle it, that I’m too weak to be of any real help.

I’ll prove them wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on Fanfiction.net and I figured why not put it here too. To everyone that is reading this, I really hope you're enjoying it so far! Please let me know what you think.


End file.
